


love you to death

by inkin_brushes



Series: Immortals (Vamp AU) [29]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, Vampire Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:18:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6282505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkin_brushes/pseuds/inkin_brushes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakyeon confesses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	love you to death

Hakyeon woke early, his eyes fluttering open to utter darkness. Taekwoon was loosely embracing him, and Hakyeon didn’t move to get up. Not tonight. 

He shut his eyes, curling closer to Taekwoon’s chest, rousing him a bit. “Go back to sleep,” Hakyeon whispered, just as Taekwoon was spiking his temperature back up. He’d gone tepid in his slumber, and now he was feverish. Hakyeon sighed.

“You sleep too,” Taekwoon rasped, pressing a kiss to Hakyeon’s temple, “old man.”

Hakyeon huffed, his heart skipping a beat, and Taekwoon chuckled a little before falling still once more. “Like you have any room to talk,” Hakyeon grumbled, but that was the joke, wasn’t it. Hakyeon didn’t even know how old Taekwoon was precisely. He just knew his birth probably predated the invention of the fucking wheel. 

Taekwoon didn’t say anything else, simply settled in a bit more comfortably, then fell still once more. Even so, it resonated in Hakyeon’s mind. At midnight, he’d be twenty-seven. He’d already had his quarter life crisis, but this was— odd. He’d never really felt the clock ticking before, but ever since Taekwoon had come into his life, ever since eternity had been up for grabs, Hakyeon had felt it. 

Hakyeon was ready to stop it. He was truly ready. It had taken a lot of time, and mental preparation, but he was ready.

And it was a good thing too, because today was his personal deadline; he’d promised himself that he would tell the others about his decision today, when they were all together. But he still hadn’t told Taekwoon. So sometime before they went to see the others, he would have to do that. He just needed to figure out how. 

He swallowed nervously, and he inhaled slowly, deeply, counting it out in his head, lulling his body back into slumber. He didn’t want to get worked up about it, not now. It would come. His pulse slowed, calmed, and then he slipped back into unconsciousness.

The next time he woke, he was bathed in the gentle glow of several candles, placed here and there around the apartment. Beside him, the bed was empty, so he raised his head, searching for Taekwoon and finding him in their little kitchenette. He was standing frozen, holding a pan in his hands and wearing a wince on his face.

“Were you trying to surprise me with breakfast in bed?” Hakyeon asked, his voice raspy but tone enthused. 

“Trying, being the operative word,” Taekwoon muttered, setting the pan on the little stove. 

“Well,” Hakyeon said, curling back down under the covers, “the gesture is still sweet, and I will happily take it.” 

Hakyeon watched as Taekwoon puttered around, cracking eggs and breaking open a bag of frozen hash browns. Soon the smell of food was thick in the air and Hakyeon’s stomach was rumbling. 

When the food was done, Hakyeon sat up in bed, and Taekwoon very carefully set the plate in his lap. “No cake?” Hakyeon teased, taking the fork from Taekwoon’s hand.

“That’s for later,” Taekwoon said solemnly, and Hakyeon smiled.

“Eat with me?” he asked, and Taekwoon nodded. He flickered away, for a beat, then was back with a blood bag and a straw. He sat beside Hakyeon in bed, and they ate in peaceful silence, a warmth between them. Finally, Hakyeon broke while he was mopping up his yolk with the last of his hash browns. “What time did we tell Wonshik we’d be over?”

“Not until midnight.” 

Hakyeon set the plate aside on the nightstand, then leaned against Taekwoon’s side. “Shower with me?” 

Taekwoon’s eyes darkened. “Mm.”

Hakyeon grinned, a little sharply, then he was slipping off the bed, sauntering his way to the bathroom. Taekwoon didn’t immediately follow, instead reaching for the dishes on the nightstand, presumably to put them in the sink before coming to join him. 

Hakyeon turned the shower on and closed the bathroom door almost all the way, so steam would begin to gather in the little room. He still shivered as he stripped efficiently, and he didn’t bother to wait for Taekwoon. Instead he hopped into the shower stall and closed the glass door behind him. The water wasn’t fully hot yet, but it was getting there, and Hakyeon sighed in relief, tipping his face up to the spray.

He reached for the shampoo, quickly lathering up his hair and then rinsing efficiently. When he ducked out of the spray of water, blinking his eyes open, he saw Taekwoon coming into the room. He was blurry through the frosted glass of the shower door. Hakyeon paused, a moment, to watch his blurry form take off his shirt, then he resumed his washing, grabbing for the conditioner and working it into his hair. 

“Body wash time,” Hakyeon murmured happily, reaching for the lurid pink bottle with _Bubblegum Blast_ in obnoxious font on the label just as Taekwoon opened the shower door. Goosebumps immediately erupted all over Hakyeon’s skin as a wash of cold air surged into the little shower stall. He scoot over to make room for Taekwoon, clutching his bottle of body wash to his chest like that would save him from the cold air. “Ah, close it, all the steam is escaping.”

Taekwoon didn’t react to that, simply shut the shower stall door behind himself, stopping the draft. “Better?”

“Yes,” Hakyeon said, squirting a liberal amount of pink goo into his hand and then setting the bottle back on its stand. His bumped into Taekwoon several times as he did so, making new goosebumps rise on his skin for a very different reason. There was a lot of bare skin right beside him. “You’re too big, I am squashed in here,” he muttered, lathering the soap between his palms. 

“You are the one who suggested we shower together,” Taekwoon murmured, the sound of the water hitting the tiles nearly drowning him out. 

Hakyeon didn’t reply to that, simply turned so he was fully facing Taekwoon, the water hitting his back. Taekwoon’s body was fully wet, droplets scattered over his pale skin, but his hair was simply damp, hanging over his forehead. Hakyeon’s breath caught a little, and he covered it up by slapping his soapy palms onto Taekwoon’s chest, proceeding to rub the soap over his skin in careful circles. Taekwoon winced, not from the slap, Hakyeon knew, but just because he would rather not smell like bubblegum. 

“I like how it smells,” Hakyeon said, arching an eyebrow at Taekwoon and daring him to complain. He let his hands slide lower, over the gentles ridges of Taekwoon’s abdomen, his skin turning slippery between the water and the soap.

“That is why I suffer through it,” Taekwoon muttered, clearly to himself.

“What was that?” Hakyeon asked sweetly, his hand drifting even lower. Very lightly, he grasped Taekwoon’s cock. It felt very hot against Hakyeon palm, the skin turned silky from the soap, and Taekwoon was already getting hard, just from the anticipation of what was to come.

Taekwoon exhaled softly, ducking his head down. “Nothing,” he murmured.

“That’s what I thought,” Hakyeon said smugly. He made a loose circle with his fingers, running them up and down the shaft, more teasing than anything. He was gratified to feel Taekwoon growing harder against his fingers. Hakyeon paused to use his thumb to rub small circles just under the head of Taekwoon’s cock, and Taekwoon gasped, his cock twitching in Hakyeon’s hand. 

Taekwoon’s hands came up, touching Hakyeon’s shoulders very lightly, and he let his head tip forward, so his forehead was resting against Hakyeon’s. His mouth was slightly open, eyes closed and brow furrowed. Hakyeon could feel him panting, a little.

“Okay?” Hakyeon whispered, and Taekwoon opened an eye so he could squint at Hakyeon in a disgruntled manner. It made Hakyeon smile, and he was about to resume his movements, but Taekwoon was wrapping his hands around Hakyeon’s wrists, plucking his hands away from him. 

Hakyeon went willingly, watching as Taekwoon in turn reached for the body wash, squirting some into his own palm. “The water will get cold soon,” Taekwoon explained, lathering the soap between his hands, “and you are not clean yet.”

“So practical,” Hakyeon said, standing still as Taekwoon ran his hands over his chest, under his arms and then down his sides, spreading pinkish bubbles in his wake. He bypassed Hakyeon’s erect cock utterly, and Hakyeon knew that was deliberate, pursing his lips in displeasure. Taekwoon smiled, a little, letting his hands drift around to Hakyeon’s ass, a couple of fingers delving into the cleft and making Hakyeon squeak before they withdrew. 

Then Taekwoon was pulling away completely, and he was fully hard now, and Hakyeon _really_ wanted to do something about that. As well as have something done to him.

“You missed a spot,” he said tightly, trembling a little. 

Taekwoon’s eyes flicked down to Hakyeon’s cock, hard and curving up towards his stomach, before he looked back up at Hakyeon’s face. “Mm.”

“It’s my birthday, I am not going to beg—” Hakyeon began, but he cut off as he was suddenly moved, his back being pressed to the tiled wall of the shower. “Ah! Cold, cold tile—”

He made to buck away, but Taekwoon held him still with a hand splayed across his chest. Hakyeon subsided very quickly, because Taekwoon’s other hand was covered in a new layer of soap, and it was wrapping around his cock. “You talk so much,” Taekwoon muttered, and then he was kissing Hakyeon. 

Hakyeon did talk a lot, it was true. _Will you be alright putting up with me talking too much for eternity_ , Hakyeon wondered. He knew the answer to that though, and let himself relax against the wall of the shower, the tiles warming beneath his own body heat. Taekwoon was close to his front, their chests nearly brushing, his hand moving over Hakyeon’s cock in a very satisfying way. Between that and the steam, he was starting to feel lightheaded.

Hakyeon sucked on Taekwoon’s bottom lip, letting his teeth scrape over the skin as he pulled away. “You too,” he whispered, his head tipping back against the tiled wall as Taekwoon’s hand twisted around his cock just _so_.

“I do not talk a lot,” Taekwoon said, slightly indignant, his hand stuttering and lifting off. 

Hakyeon groaned. “No, no, not that—” He reached between their bodies, grasping Taekwoon’s cock. He maneuvered them so their cocks were side by side, and Hakyeon could grasp both of them at the same time. “You too.” 

“Ah,” Taekwoon said, as Hakyeon began to move his hand over both their cocks, his hips tipping upwards rhythmically as he did so, the underside of his cock dragging against Taekwoon’s. “ _Ah_.”

“Taekwoon,” Hakyeon whispered, and then Taekwoon’s hand was joining his, their fingers overlapping. Taekwoon pressed his mouth to the side of Hakyeon’s neck, the juncture of where his shoulder began. Hakyeon whimpered, tilting his head to the side, wordlessly asking, though he knew Taekwoon wouldn’t oblige. Taekwoon simply moved their hands faster, faster, distracting Hakyeon and making his hips begin to lose their rhythm. His free hand grasped at Taekwoon’s back, slipping from the water.

“Come, Hakyeon,” Taekwoon said against his skin, “before the water gets cold.” 

Hakyeon stuttered, huffing out a laugh, and then Taekwoon was biting him, but his teeth were all blunt. The pain, the action, send a jolt through him anyway, and he came, crying out softly and arching. Taekwoon held him up carefully, correctly sensing that Hakyeon’s legs were a bit unstable. He kept moving their hands, though Hakyeon’s fingers had gone lax, and the overstimulation made him whimper, sending little aftershocks through him.

Hakyeon turned his face a little, kissing Taekwoon’s lips lightly, and Taekwoon moaned, finally coming too. 

Afterwards, Taekwoon touched him carefully, running gentle fingertips over Hakyeon’s skin as he washed the soap away, the come. Hakyeon was pliant, letting Taekwoon move him as he wished, the steam from the shower and his orgasm leaving him feeling vaguely floaty. 

When the water finally began to cool Taekwoon turned it off and led Hakyeon out of the shower stall, patting him dry with a towel before attending to himself. Hakyeon smiled at him fondly, watching as he rubbed a towel over his own hair. 

Taekwoon caught him staring. “What is that look for?”

“I just love you,” Hakyeon said honestly, and Taekwoon seemed flustered by that.

“I love you too,” he muttered, a little bemused.

Hakyeon stepped forward, letting his towel fall so he could align their naked bodies together. He slipped his hands around Taekwoon’s waist, placing a soft kiss to one corner of Taekwoon’s mouth, then the other, before he sealed their mouths together properly. 

Taekwoon cradled his face gently, and fuck but he felt so good, skin warm and slightly damp. When Hakyeon pulled away, he exhaled shakily, letting his eyelids flutter open. “I want you to fuck me properly,” he whispered. Despite his words he stepped away. “But I don’t think we have time.”

It took Taekwoon a moment to respond. For a few seconds he was quite dazed. “We do, but— not to fuck and then shower again. And it would probably be best if we didn’t reek of sex, when going to see your friends.”

Hakyeon blushed a little. “Probably.”

“Mm.” Taekwoon brushed a wet lock of hair from Hakyeon’s forehead, and then gave a shaky exhale of his own before leaving the bathroom. Hakyeon grumbled but followed.

They dressed in silence, Taekwoon pulling on jeans and a tank top. Hakyeon was dressed similarly, as he knew the night would be comfortable. But he slung a jacket over his arm, because while the air outside would be warm with summer heat, Jaehwan’s home would not be. 

“Ready?” Taekwoon asked, and Hakyeon nodded, taking his hand and letting himself be led out into the moonlight.

Hakyeon absorbed the details of the night, feeling like he was in some strange dream. Taekwoon’s hand was soft in his own, and the night air was thick with moisture. The sidewalk scraped at his worn boots, and his little amulet was pinging softly beneath his shirt, like a reminder. It was time, Hakyeon had promised himself, now was the moment. 

“Can we go through the park?” Hakyeon asked, voice trembling a little, and Taekwoon glanced at him in question. “We have the time for a little detour.”

Taekwoon tipped his head in agreement, a bit confused but more than willing. 

It took long minutes to get there, and Hakyeon tried not to wind himself up, but he couldn’t stop his heart from beating that bit faster or his breath coming quicker. Taekwoon would have noticed by now, though he didn’t say anything. Hakyeon was grateful for that.

The park was empty, which was no surprise, exactly. Sometimes during the summer months, teenagers would loiter, but they usually didn’t do so for very long. It was meant to make them feel adventurous, but those kinds of kids only wanted the illusion. The ones who were actually seeking a true brush with danger would go into the bad part of the city, and at later times. 

“Are we alone?” Hakyeon asked as they passed by a quaint lamppost, its light yellow and attracting a plethora of moths. 

Taekwoon slowed, tipping his head back as he closed his eyes. “I believe so, yes.” 

“Good,” Hakyeon said, and he stopped walking, tugging at Taekwoon’s hand so he stopped as well. Taekwoon let his eyes open then, looking at Hakyeon with an unreadable expression. “I wanted to talk to you about something. I was planning on waiting until after we visited the others, but I’m too—” Hakyeon shook his head jerkily, not knowing the right word.

“What is it?” Taekwoon asked softly. He ran his thumb over Hakyeon’s knuckles soothingly.

Hakyeon’s breath caught, everything he’d planned on saying in this moment flying out of his head. “I— I’ve been thinking, a lot.” He shuffled his feet, so nervous he felt like he might throw up. 

Realization lit up Taekwoon’s features for a flash. “Are you finally going to tell me what has been playing on your mind these past months?”

“Yes,” Hakyeon whispered. He pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. “I— I love you, Taekwoon. I love you more than is really fair, more than I thought I could love another person. I never— I had dated before but it had always been rather surface, and then to fall in love with you, with a vampire— it’s been territory I never dreamed about traversing, and I’ve honestly had no idea what I am doing.” 

Taekwoon was frowning. “Hakyeon—” he mumbled, but he fell silent when Hakyeon shook his head slightly.

“I need to get this out,” Hakyeon said shakily, trying to smile in what he hoped was a reassuring way. He gave Taekwoon’s hand a squeeze, bringing it nearer so he could place his other hand on the back of it, clasping it lightly. “I’ve been— been thinking about the depths of my feelings for you. I realized I— I’d do anything for you, you know? You’ve killed for me, and while the situation of me reciprocating that has never arisen, I know that I would. I would tear anyone who tried to harm you apart.” He swallowed thickly, glancing up at Taekwoon’s round face, solemn as always. “And if I’m not mistaken, you’d die for me, without hesitating.”

Slowly, Taekwoon nodded. 

Hakyeon’s heart gave a little flutter at that. He’d known it, but— fuck. “I would too,” he whispered, “I can’t— I don’t know what you’re planning, Taekwoon, for after I die. I don’t know if you’re intending to follow me, or if you will try to go on, but I know that if you were taken from me— I couldn’t do it. I don’t think I’d survive it, and I’d do anything to prevent you being harmed, to prevent us being torn apart.” 

“I don’t understand,” Taekwoon said softly, and he sounded small and lost. 

Hakyeon bit his bottom lip. “I’m trying to say— I mean— after realizing all that, it just— I’m willing to kill for you, to _die_ for you, and— and I’m going to, Taekwoon.” Hakyeon took a shuddery breath in. “I’m going to die for you. I— I’m going to turn.”

Taekwoon snatched his hand from between Hakyeon’s with that unnerving vampire quickness. Hakyeon blinked as Taekwoon stepped back a little, staring at Hakyeon like he’d seen a ghost. “Repeat that,” he said, his feathery voice unfamiliarly rough.

“I want you to make me into a vampire,” Hakyeon said, feeling like the words were being ripped from his chest.

Taekwoon didn’t seem set at ease, still had that haunted, terrified look in his eyes. “You are certain?”

“Yes,” Hakyeon said, and while his voice shook, his resolve was set. 

“Please,” Taekwoon whispered. “I— I couldn’t bear it, if you— if you took it back later.”

“I know,” Hakyeon said gently, his heart aching with how Taekwoon was looking at him, like a wounded animal. “That’s why I waited so long to tell you, because I wanted to be sure. I didn’t want to give you hope and then take it away. But I’m sure, Taekwoon. I’m sure. I want to be with you. I want the bite.”

“Now?” Taekwoon asked hoarsely, and Hakyeon couldn’t stop the smile from rising to his lips.

“No, not now. Now we need to go see the others,” Hakyeon murmured, “but soon. Very soon. Within the week perhaps? I don’t know what sort of preparations you must make.” Taekwoon didn’t reply, was still eyeing him warily. Hakyeon reached his hands out tentatively, taking a cautious step forward. “Please stop looking at me like that, it’s breaking my heart,” he said, trying to keep his tone light but his voice wobbled. 

Taekwoon let himself be embraced, and Hakyeon wrapped his arms tightly about him, pressing his cheek against his lover’s silent chest. Slowly, Taekwoon returned the embrace, but very lightly, carefully, like he thought the Hakyeon in front of him was a mirage, and he might break, or fade.

“Please say something,” Hakyeon whispered. “I thought you’d be happy.”

“I—” Taekwoon choked out, his hands tightening on Hakyeon for a moment. “I feel as if I am dreaming. I am terrified I am dreaming.”

“Vampires don’t dream,” Hakyeon reminded him, closing his eyes against the pain in Taekwoon’s voice.

Taekwoon laughed softly, but it sounded less happy and more hysterical. Then he was crushing Hakyeon more tightly against him, one arm around Hakyeon’s waist and the other cradling Hakyeon’s head to his chest tenderly, his fingers carding into his hair. He let his cheek rest against the crown of Hakyeon’s head. “I— I do not know what to do with this— this hope,” he gasped. “It hurts more.”

“I’m not going to change my mind,” Hakyeon said, _promised_. “I’m not, I’m not, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I’d forgotten how— how much the idea of you dying terrified me, I’ve been— been trying to deal with it, accept it. And I had— had, at the very least, managed to resign myself to the idea of it, but now— god, it’s like the wound is fresh all over again.” His voice broke, and with a start, Hakyeon realized he was crying. 

“I’m sorry,” Hakyeon said, feeling tears prickle at the backs of his own eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve been hurting you. But Taekwoon— it’s over. It’s over. I’m going to turn. I’m not going to leave you.”

Taekwoon sobbed, a very small, broken little hiccup of a sound as more tears rolled crimson down his cheeks. “Please,” he whispered, “please, please—”

Hakyeon didn’t know what Taekwoon was begging for, if he spoke to Hakyeon or himself or some higher force, but it made the tears slip warmly down his own cheeks. He nudged his face up, kissing Taekwoon blindly, stopping Taekwoon mid-prayer. “I love you,” Hakyeon gasped into his mouth, “so much, so much—”

Taekwoon sealed their mouths together, clutching onto Hakyeon desperately, like he was the only thing anchoring him in a violent sea. Hakyeon reached trembling fingers up, touching the sides of Taekwoon’s face and feeling dampness there. 

“Stop crying,” Hakyeon mumbled, “or you’ll have to feed on me.”

Taekwoon smiled against his mouth, gentle, but once he did it was like he couldn’t stop and then he was grinning, a soft laugh escaping. He pulled back and wiped at his face with the back of his hand, and that did little to help with the mess. “I got blood on you,” he said.

Hakyeon gave a mighty sniffle, wiping at his own face and finding the ordinary water of his own tears and some stray droplets of blood from Taekwoon. “I’m fine. You, on the other hand, look like someone performed a sacrificial rite on your face.” 

Taekwoon laughed, giddy. “I don’t care,” he said. He kissed Hakyeon, fervent, fast, then broke away again. “You’re turning?”

“Yes,” Hakyeon said, getting vaguely exasperated though he couldn’t help but smile. “I’m turning. You are going to have to put up with me for eternity.”

“Good,” Taekwoon said, and he held Hakyeon close once more, seeming to be content to let it all soak in. Hakyeon, in turn, felt— light, lighter than he had in months. It was done, it was decided. 

Suddenly, Taekwoon stiffened against him, and Hakyeon immediately went on alert. “What is it?” Hakyeon whispered, wondering if maybe Taekwoon sensed danger.

“I just— if you turn, you won’t need human food anymore,” Taekwoon muttered. “And I just learned how to make lasagna.” 

Hakyeon slumped against his chest. “Yes, such a valid point you make. Clearly I should have thought of that before deciding to turn.”

“Mm,” Taekwoon hummed. “I’ll forgive you.” 

Hakyeon smiled up at him, knowing he looked utterly besotted and not caring because Taekwoon looked the same. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

——

“They’re late,” Jaehwan said from where he lounged in his chair. He was staring at the clock on the mantlepiece. It read fifteen after midnight.

“Not very,” Wonshik said, rolling his eyes. He settled further back on the couch, content to wait. 

“It’s Hakyeon’s birthday, they probably got caught up fucking,” Hongbin said in a voice that was far too pragmatic for the words. 

From the kitchen, Sanghyuk began to cough, choking on the soda he’d been drinking. Wonshik pursed his lips, stiffening next to Hongbin and squinting at him. Hongbin grinned, mischievous, and he leaned against Wonshik’s side.

Sanghyuk came into the room, looking a bit embarrassed. The tips of his ears were pinker than usual. 

“Do not fluster my human, Crazy,” Jaehwan said smoothly. “Only I am allowed to do that.” He reached for Sanghyuk, swiping at his waist like he was going to drag him down into the seat with him. Sanghyuk scowled and danced out of his reach, coming to perch on the arm of the couch.

Wonshik had given up on understanding them. They blew hot and cold too fast. Even knowing— what he knew, about Jaehwan’s feelings, it was too much for him. They were still weird. A few weeks ago, Sanghyuk had been spitting pissed at Jaehwan, and now they were seemingly back to normal. Maybe that was just the way relationships with Jaehwan went.

Jaehwan was making crooning noises at Sanghyuk, who was scowling furiously. “I will spill this soda all over your ugly velvet couch,” Sanghyuk hissed at Jaehwan, dangling the soda threateningly. 

This hostage situation was interrupted by the wards of the house rippling, heralding the arrival of Hakyeon and Taekwoon. 

“Ah,” Jaehwan said, reclining easily with a smirk. He glanced at the clock. “Guess their lovemaking session didn’t last very long.”

Sanghyuk made a high, keening noise, and Wonshik stood up, rushing to get the door and, subsequently, get out of the room.

He wrenched the door open before Hakyeon could even knock. “Hey,” he greeted.

Hakyeon blinked, lowering his fist from where he’d raised it to strike the door. “Uh, hi, guess you heard us coming?” 

“Yeah,” Wonshik said. Hakyeon looked— well, he looked like he’d been crying, and Wonshik flicked his eyes over to Taekwoon, looming at his side, and couldn’t help his little start of surprise. Though he’d obviously tried to wipe it away, there was blood smeared over his face, as if— as if he’d been crying too.

Wonshik opened his mouth, unsure what to say, but Taekwoon simply brushed by him, vampire speed. Wonshik blinked at where he’d been standing, then at Hakyeon. “Everything alright?”

Hakyeon smiled, and there was nothing forced about it. “Yes, we’re very well,” Hakyeon said, a warm sincerity laced in his tone. “I’m better than I’ve been in a long time, actually.”

Wonshik knew he looked bemused as Hakyeon stepped over the threshold. “You look like you’ve been crying,” Wonshik murmured as he shut the door.

“Sometimes tears are happy, Wonshik,” Hakyeon whispered, touching Wonshik’s arm lightly. They held one another’s gazes for a moment, and it was— odd. Hakyeon looked like someone had turned a light on inside him. His glow was back. 

Hakyeon stepped past him, into the living room, and the others cried out happily at the sight of him. Wonshik took a few beats to follow, thinking about his words. _Sometimes tears are happy_. He could see Hakyeon crying tears of joy, but Taekwoon? Picturing Taekwoon with anything more than a vague emotion was difficult in and of itself, but what the fuck could move Taekwoon to literal tears? He had a feeling he was going to find out.

Wonshik moved slowly into the living room. Jaehwan hadn’t risen from his chair, but Hongbin and Sanghyuk had come over to embrace Hakyeon in turn. Surprisingly, Taekwoon wasn’t in the room.

“Happy birthday, Hakyeon,” Sanghyuk said, pulling away from Hakyeon’s embrace with a smile.

“How old are you now?” Hongbin asked, his dimples making shadows in his cheeks. “Forty?” Hakyeon squinted a glare at him, and Hongbin blinked innocently back. “What? I have been out of it a lot you know, the time just slips away.”

“Not that much,” Hakyeon said, still squinting. “I’m twenty-seven, thank you very much.”

Hongbin and Sanghyuk were both giggling, and they might have said something in reply, but suddenly Taekwoon was back. Wonshik guessed he’d gone to the bathroom, as the blood was fully gone from his face, and his hairline was damp. Hakyeon’s sour expression fully faded as they met one another’s eyes, melting into something soft and warm. Taekwoon went to his side as always, a slight smile on his small mouth. 

“Ah, brother, I was wondering where you’d zipped off to,” Jaehwan said smoothly. “It’s rather unlike you to leave your little pet unattended.” 

“Hello, Jaehwan,” Taekwoon murmured, not rising to the bait so obviously presented. Jaehwan raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, but neither Hakyeon nor Taekwoon seemed to notice, so caught up in one another as they were. 

Jaehwan cleared his throat, which garnered absolutely no reaction. “You’re late, I was growing worried.”

“No, you weren’t,” Wonshik said.

“We took a bit of a detour through the park,” Hakyeon said easily, completely lacking the antagonism he usually directed at Jaehwan. Taekwoon sighed, the sound almost dreamy. 

Jaehwan looked between the two of them, expression rather baffled and suspicious. “Well,” he said slowly, and Wonshik knew the tone, as well as the glint in Jaehwan’s eye, “Crazy put forth the suggestion that you were delayed because you were, as he put it, fucking. I was unsure since you were late but not _that_ late, though I am well familiar with the fact that Taekwoon doesn’t always draw these things out.” Jaehwan grinned, his teeth a bit fangy.

Neither Hakyeon nor Taekwoon had any real reaction to Jaehwan’s taunting. Taekwoon was idly toying with the hair at the nape of Hakyeon’s neck, seeming engrossed in the activity, and Hakyeon himself was looking at Jaehwan, an expression of only mild attention on his face, like he was waiting for Jaehwan to finish.

Jaehwan sat up properly, and Wonshik sensed him grinding his teeth. It was a challenge now, he could see, to get them to snap, and Hongbin was rolling his eyes already, while Sanghyuk scowled. He shifted, a little, edging nearer to Jaehwan so he could poke at Jaehwan’s shoulder. 

Jaehwan gave no indication he had even felt it. “But perhaps Crazy was right,” he said, squinting. “You’re both in far too good of a mood for _something_ not to have happened. Though, I must say, I was never able to make Taekwoon so demure and well fucked. You will have to teach me your ways, Hakyeon, because now this is a matter of pride.” 

Hakyeon snorted at that, and Taekwoon turned a little to give Jaehwan an unimpressed look. “You never did much aside from lie there and be obnoxiously loud,” Taekwoon murmured. “Honestly, I don’t know what Sanghyuk sees in you. Surely he is doing all of the work.”

Jaehwan looked like Taekwoon had just whalloped him upside the head. Hongbin began to laugh, and though Sanghyuk tried to hide it behind his hand, it was obvious he was giggling as well. Wonshik felt himself smiling, but he tried to control it. 

“I,” Jaehwan choked out, his indignation rising, “am an excellent lover.” He pointed at Sanghyuk. “He has no complaints.”

“I have some complaints,” Sanghyuk said in a little voice, though he was still giggling. Jaehwan looked at him in utter betrayal, and Hongbin collapsed back onto the couch with how hard he was laughing. Hakyeon wrinkled his nose a little, and Jaehwan latched onto that as a possible method of annoyance. His eyes flicked to Sanghyuk, standing beside his chair and still smiling. 

Quickly, faster than Sanghyuk could react to, Jaehwan had seized him around the waist, tugging him down into his lap. Sanghyuk squeaked as he tumbled, landing halfway on Jaehwan’s thighs and halfway onto the chair. He immediately kicked out, trying to get enough momentum to stand again, but Jaehwan held him fast around the waist, not letting him go. He made a point of dragging Sanghyuk back, so his back was against Jaehwan’s front, and Jaehwan placed his chin on Sanghyuk’s shoulder, and looked at Hakyeon smugly while Sanghyuk’s face burned red.

“He’s too tall for that,” Hakyeon said simply, and Jaehwan’s smug expression slid off his face. He looked ready to explode, or alternatively, ready to resort to Desperate Measures, which would potentially involve fondling Sanghyuk just to piss Hakyeon off, so Wonshik decided to intervene.

“We uh— we got a cake for you,” he blurted out, and Hakyeon turned to look at him, surprised.

“A cake?” he asked, one eyebrow raising quizzically. With Hakyeon’s attention diverted, Sanghyuk seemed to think Jaehwan would release him, and he began to wiggle again, but Jaehwan’s arm around him simply tightened. 

“Well, yeah, it is your birthday,” Wonshik said, a little embarrassed.

Hakyeon laughed. “Yeah, but— I haven’t celebrated my birthday with a cake in years. Alcohol, yes, cake, no.”

“Cake is better,” Hongbin said cheerfully. He was lounging back into the couch, an arm draped over his stomach still because he’d been clutching it earlier as he’d had his laughing fit. 

“So you guys stole me a cake?” Hakyeon asked. Behind him, Sanghyuk finally flopped back against Jaehwan’s chest, apparently admitting defeat.

“Sanghyuk purchased it,” Wonshik said, smiling. “We wouldn’t want you to eat contraband cake for your birthday.” 

“He got candles too,” Hongbin added.

“Not twenty-seven of them,” Sanghyuk muttered, his cheeks still red because of his position. Jaehwan, on the other hand, seemed disgruntled but vaguely pleased. “I didn’t want to set the cake on fire with so many candles, so I simply got one shaped like a two and another shaped like a seven.”

Hakyeon frowned. “Excuse you,” he said hotly, “twenty-seven is not that many. I am not ancient.”

Sanghyuk opened his mouth to say something, a glint in his eyes despite his pink cheeks, and Wonshik saw danger coming. He spoke up, loudly, drowning out whatever it was Sanghyuk was starting to say. “Do you want your cake or not?” 

Hakyeon sniffed. “Yes.” He perched on the couch beside Hongbin, motioning regally. “Bring out my birthday offering.”

Wonshik rolled his eyes but did as he was bid, smoothly fetching the cake, as well a some paper plates and forks and knives. The two candles were already on the cake, standing proudly amidst the pink icing flowers and plastic Hello Kitty faces that adorned the cake’s deep brown, chocolate surface. 

“Hakyeon is basically a five year old girl,” Sanghyuk had said solemnly when he’d first arrived and shown them the cake. “He should have a cake that fits that.”

Wonshik brought the cake into the living room with much ceremony, placing it in front of Hakyeon on the coffee table. Hakyeon stared down at it, his lips pursed, and beside him Hongbin had his own fist halfway in his mouth to keep himself from laughing. On Hakyeon’s other side, Taekwoon had come to lean against the arm of the couch, and he peered down at the cake curiously. 

“Those cats have bows,” he observed seriously. “Its face is slightly unnerving.”

“Its Hello Kitty,” Sanghyuk explained. “She’s a very important part of the modern day birthday rite.” 

“Do not tell him lies,” Hakyeon said, patting Taekwoon’s knee. 

“I was about to say, I do not recall this— this cake process happening when we celebrated Sanghyuk’s birthday,” Taekwoon said, and Hakyeon looked up at him fondly, giving his knee another pat. 

Wonshik pulled a lighter out of his back pocket, lighting the two candles. After a count of three, Sanghyuk, Hongbin, and himself sang happy birthday, while Hakyeon swayed and looked pleased, and the other two vampires looked fascinated and confused. Jaehwan mouthed along in spots, like he vaguely knew how it should go, while Taekwoon simply squinted down at the burning candles and seemed utterly lost. 

Hakyeon’s eyes fluttered closed as he made a wish, and then he leaned forward and blew the candles out. 

“That was very odd,” Taekwoon said simply once it was over, and the smell of cheap wax was heavy in the air.

Hakyeon grabbed a plate and plastic knife, seeming a bit sheepish. “Yes, I suppose it is,” he said, carving off a slice of cake with a plastic Hello Kitty head on it, which he then handed to Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk could barely reach out enough to take it, as Jaehwan refused to release his hold on his waist. Hakyeon busied himself cutting off a piece for himself, and Sanghyuk settled back on Jaehwan’s lap, wobbling a bit on Jaehwan’s bony thighs. Jaehwan peered curiously as Sanghyuk plucked off the Hello Kitty decoration, revealing that it was, in fact, a ring, meant for someone with rather small fingers. He licked the chocolate off the plastic and then set it aside to eat the slice proper.

Jaehwan inhaled deeply. “It smells like chocolate.”

“It _is_ chocolate,” Sanghyuk said, primly eating a bite.

Hakyeon by now was chewing his own piece. “It’s not bad, for a cheap grocery store cake.” He had a light note of teasing in his voice. 

“I wish I could taste,” Jaehwan muttered, and Wonshik vaguely echoed that sentiment. The chocolate smelled— well, like chocolate, but it didn’t make his mouth water as it should. The memory of how it once tasted made him want to take a bite anyway. “I remember cake, it was nice.”

Sanghyuk turned as best he could in his position, spine twisting so he could look at Jaehwan’s face curiously. “What will happen if you eat a bite?”

“It won’t stay down for long,” Jaehwan deadpanned, and Sanghyuk’s nose wrinkled. 

“Does it still smell good to you?” Hakyeon asked Taekwoon, holding the plate up and out.

Taekwoon gave the cake a perfunctory sniff. “It smells pleasant, but not like food, if that makes sense,” he murmured, and Hakyeon made a humming noise in thought. “Much like freshly cut grass smells pleasant to you, I imagine, but it doesn’t smell like food. Though for many creatures, it is food.” 

“Like cows,” Hongbin said sagely.

“That is a distinctly unflattering comparison,” Hakyeon said around a mouthful of cake, and Taekwoon grinned. 

The vampires fell silent as the humans ate their cake. For the most part, anyway. Jaehwan kept poking at Sanghyuk, trying to get his attention. Sanghyuk ignored him thoroughly, and Jaehwan, bored, picked the little Hello Kitty ring up off Sanghyuk’s plate, toying with it idly. After Sanghyuk had taken a particularly large bite of cake, Jaehwan grabbed his hand, slipping the ring onto Sanghyuk’s pinky finger. It only slipped over the first knuckle, sitting happily on the middle of Sanghyuk’s finger. 

“Will you be my vampire bride?” Jaehwan asked solemnly, and Sanghyuk’s face twisted. Hakyeon turned his face away to hide his smile, and his eye caught Taekwoon’s. Something about the exchange made them smile at one another.

“Ow mooph bif immo yor faf,” Sanghyuk said, his words muffled around the cake in his mouth, waving his plate threateningly at Jaehwan’s face. 

“What was that, love?” Jaehwan asked sweetly. For once, Hakyeon didn’t scowl at the nickname, and Hongbin eyed him suspiciously. Wonshik, too, was wondering what the fuck Hakyeon and Taekwoon had done prior to this to put them both in such irrevocably good moods.

Sanghyuk swallowed. “I’ll moosh this into your face,” he repeated, enunciating carefully. There wasn’t much cake left on his plate, but chocolate was chocolate, and Jaehwan was wearing one of his nice shirts. It was a deep crimson, and silk. 

Jaehwan pouted. “That’s not very nice, I was merely flirting,” he said. “Though if you lick it off, I might forgive it—”

Sanghyuk raised the cake higher, and Hakyeon said, “Ignore him, Sanghyuk. You needn’t waste good cake.” 

“Mm,” Taekwoon agreed, a small smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth.

There was silence, for a beat, as Sanghyuk lowered the plate back into his lap, looking confusedly at Hakyeon. Wonshik knew a similar expression probably adorned his own face.

“Alright,” Hongbin said, nudging at Hakyeon’s side with his elbow, “are you going to tell us why you two are so happy? Because Taekwoon keeps looking at you in this really sappy way, and let me tell you, it’s pretty gross.”

Hakyeon started, a bit, and a slight blush came to his cheeks. Taekwoon looked at the floor, like he was embarrassed. “I wasn’t— I mean,” Hakyeon muttered, “I guess we could tell you now.” His eyes flicked to Jaehwan and he sighed, putting his empty plate down on the coffee table. 

“Ah,” Wonshik said, also casting a glance at Jaehwan, “did you not want Jaehwan to know?”

“He can leave,” Hongbin said, face carefully blank, and Jaehwan made a shrieking noise of indignation that caused Hongbin’s facade to crack under a wide smile. 

“This is my _home_ ,” Jaehwan said, “I will not be kicked out of my own home—”

“It is fine, he needs to know anyway,” Taekwoon said softly, and Jaehwan’s mouth snapped shut. He grumbled a bit, settling back in the chair with Sanghyuk, like a lion dragging its prey into its cave. The hold was downright possessive. 

Taekwoon seemed disinclined to speak more, looked to Hakyeon, who began to fidget. “I— well, we have some news, I suppose,” Hakyeon said tentatively, his cheeks reddening anew. 

Jaehwan perked up. “Are you expecting, Hakyeon?” he asked, grinning. “I was under the impression you didn’t have the right plumbing for that, but, well.” 

Sanghyuk wiggled, just enough so that he could put his plate down on the floor, like if he continued holding it the temptation to hit Jaehwan in the face with it would be too much. “And here you told me that vamps couldn’t get humans pregnant,” Sanghyuk said tersely.

“Perhaps the power of love can bend the very laws of nature,” Jaehwan said, almost snide, but then something seemed to occur to him and he looked startled, falling silent as he looked at the floor in thought. 

“I find that expression ominous,” Hongbin said, staring at Jaehwan’s face.

“I am not pregnant,” Hakyeon said loudly. “On the long list of things I never thought I’d have to say in my life, that is one of them.”

“Thank god for that,” Wonshik deadpanned, and Hakyeon squinted at him. Hongbin was snickering. 

Hakyeon took a deep breath, still glaring around the room. “I’ve decided to turn,” he said hotly, blurting it out, and then he slapped his hand over his mouth. He looked a little stricken. 

Wonshik felt like someone had thrown icy water over him. Beside Hakyeon, Hongbin had no outward reaction, while Jaehwan had jerked, his hands tightening on Sanghyuk’s waist. Sanghyuk, himself, blinked, inhaling with a little nod, like he’d anticipated this. 

Wonshik hadn’t, not exactly. “What?” he asked hoarsely. He supposed it made sense, Hakyeon and Taekwoon were so in love, but Hakyeon— Wonshik never thought he’d consent to being turned.

Then again, a few years ago, Wonshik would have thought the same about himself. 

“I—” Hakyeon stammered, looking to Taekwoon, who reached out and cupped the back of Hakyeon’s head lightly, hand coming to rest at the nape of Hakyeon’s neck. The touch seemed to soothe Hakyeon some, his racing heart slowed a bit. “I’m going to turn, going to let— let Taekwoon turn me.” 

Wonshik was too stunned to speak, and for once, Jaehwan seemed to be in a similar state, something about the news causing him to look stricken himself. Hongbin asked softly, “Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” Hakyeon said unhesitatingly, “I am.” Taekwoon smiled down at him, and Hakyeon smiled back. Hongbin nodded, seeming satisfied. 

“You’re not surprised by this,” Wonshik said numbly, staring at Hongbin’s serene face and trying not to sound accusing. 

Hongbin smiled softly, and Wonshik thought he could see something apologetic in it. “Hakyeon spoke to me about how he was considering it. Remember that night in the park?” 

Wonshik did remember. “Why didn’t you tell me too?” he muttered. 

“I didn’t want Jaehwan to find out preemptively,” Hakyeon said flatly. “I was worried that if I told you, he would in turn force it out of you.” 

“A fair assumption,” Sanghyuk said, and Jaehwan frowned at him. He still couldn’t seem to find his words. 

“And in turn, I was worried that if he found out, he would tell Taekwoon,” Hakyeon said, his voice lowering to a whisper as he spoke. “And I didn’t want Taekwoon to know until I was sure it was happening, until it was imminent.”

“How imminent?” Jaehwan asked, and his voice was oddly croaky. Sanghyuk looked at him askance. 

“I—” Hakyeon began, then looked unsurely at Taekwoon. 

“Within a week or so,” Taekwoon murmured. “There are some preparations to make, and I desire to discuss some things with you, first.” He stared hard at Jaehwan. “And I imagine Hakyeon has a few last matters to attend to beforehand.”

Hakyeon was looking at Wonshik. “Are you angry with me?” 

Wonshik shook his head before he had time to really process the question. “No, I just— it’s a big decision, and I’m surprised but at the same time saw it coming, you know?” 

“Yes,” Hakyeon replied. “It is a big decision, but I’ve thought about it long and hard, and now that I’ve decided to turn, I feel so happy.” He seemed to remember what company he was in then, eyes flickering nervously to Hongbin. “I mean— not happy to be a vampire, but— but happy that—” He looked up at Taekwoon, and Taekwoon looked back, expression soft. Hakyeon sighed.

“Thank you,” Taekwoon whispered, and Wonshik looked away from them, their exchange weirdly intimate. 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Wonshik cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, staring at Sanghyuk, “looks like you’re going to be the last human left.” 

Sanghyuk smiled ruefully. “It’s going to be odd, when we all hang out, being the only one breathing.” He gave an affected little shudder. 

“Wouldn’t you like to join the elite vampire club?” Jaehwan asked with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Think of the stamina.” 

Hakyeon made a face and Sanghyuk laughed. “I’ll pass, thanks. I’m perfectly happy living and dying as a human,” Sanghyuk said. He shifted, moving to stand, and this time, Jaehwan let his hands fall away, releasing Sanghyuk. Once on his feet Sanghyuk stretched happily then looked at Hakyeon. “But I’m alright with this, you know? I’m alright with you guys being vamps, alright not being a vamp myself.” 

“I’m very lucky to have you,” Hakyeon said, and Wonshik agreed. They all were.

“I know,” Sanghyuk said smoothly. He sauntered into the kitchen, calling out that he was getting another soda, and would Hakyeon like one, to which Hakyeon replied yes.

“And I am taking the remnants of this cake home,” Hakyeon added in a mutter, looking at the nearly whole chocolate monstrosity. “If in two weeks time I am never going to be able to eat human food again, then you can bet before that I am going to eat _everything_.”


End file.
